Washblog

Prior to my running for office in 2006, for the Democratic Party nomination for U.S. Senate, my electoral experience had been limited to serving as president/chair of several community service organizations. However, my knowledge and experience with politics has been very expansive over the years. Most of you know about my personal story of coming to the United States as an eight year old child, as a refugee of the Vietnam War. As in many immigrant communities, the pressures on me to obtain a good education, good job and to succeed were great. Unfortunately, my parents, like many Vietnamese parents who had come to the United States under similar circumstances, believed that success in their new homeland meant obtaining all the outward signs of success, such as a high paying job, an expensive home, and all the related material signs of wealth. Although I was a very competitive child, I did not subscribe to their vision of success. As long as I can remember all I really dreamed of was to be in some powerful position so that I could make the world a better place, free from discrimination, poverty, warfare and the other problems that are so prevalent and yet continue because of the absence of leaders willing to address these problems. I wanted to be one of those leaders.

I have spent my fifteen year legal career working for nonprofits that fight to ensure that families are free from discrimination, domestic violence, have access to affordable housing, good healthcare, good jobs, a good education and fair access to the many services that many of us take for granted. Much of my work over the years involved working with government agencies and officials to make them more responsible and responsive to the needs of the public they serve. When gentle and persuasive talked failed to move them, I was glad to have to power to take them to court to hold them accountable to their constituency. Currently, I work for the Unemployment Law Project, a statewide nonprofit that represents unemployed workers.

My decision to enter the 2006 U.S. Senate race and now, my decision to seek to lead the Progressive Caucus, stem directly from my childhood dreams of changing the world for the better. These decisions are not easy decisions. However, I know that my commitment to fairness and justice and my desire to be part of the effort to give real meaning to those words are what motivate me.

After my recent experience campaigning for office, I gained a unique perspective into the inner workings of the political process, particular the workings of the State Democratic Party. While I had no expectation that the process would be easy, I was quite dismayed by the treatment I received from the party that routinely espouses it's commitment to fairness, inclusion, diversity, openness, tolerance, etc.

Nonetheless, both the good and bad experiences during the campaign gave me an insight into the State Party that I believe few others have. I want to work with you through the Washington State Progressive Caucus to create a Democratic State Party that lives up to its promises of fairness, tolerance, openness, inclusion and diversity. I also want to forge and strengthen relationships with other organizations and individuals who share the values and goals of the Progressive Caucus. I believe that through collaboration we can achieve greater progress on such critical issues as campaign reform, energy conservation, cleaner energy alternatives, universal healthcare, job growth and protection, and policies that promote peace and mutual respect between nations.

In closing, I'm not new to the fight for fairness and justice and I know the difficulties and responsibilities of leadership. I know that compromises need to be made and deals need to be broker. However, I do not subscribe to the notion that any means justifies the ends. I believe that is the conscience and leadership that I can provide and will provide as chair of the Washington State Progressive Caucus.